Overview

Roots - The Next Generations

The phenomenal success of the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots all but demanded a sequel to writer Alex Haley's epic story of his African and African-American forebears. Debuting February 18, 1979, Roots: The Next Generations picked up where its predecessor left off, with Haley's slave ancestors winning their freedom in the aftermath of the Civil War. Even so, life for black Americans was wrought with hardship and oppression thanks to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the staunch refusal of the white power structure to pass anti-lynching laws, and the formation of the dreaded Jim Crow laws which legalized racial segregation in the South (and much of the North). Covering the period from 1882 to the mid-1970s, the miniseries first focuses on blacksmith Tom Harvey (Georg Stanford Brown), great-grandson of Kunta Kinte (the protagonist of the original Roots), and his family. Meanwhile, reacting to the marriage of his son to a black woman, anal-retentive Southern colonel Warner (Henry Fonda) begins setting the legal wheels in motion to deny blacks like Tom the right to vote and to hold "white" jobs. A few decades later, Tom's son-in-law, Will (Marc Singer), encourages his fellow blacks to stand firm against the KKK's reign of terror. Will's labors on behalf of his race are rewarded when his daughter Bertha (Irene Cara) becomes the first descendant of Kunta Kinte to receive a college education. It is Bertha who weds the equally ambitious Simon Haley (Dorian Harewood), who goes on to serve in WWI and to organize farmers and sharecroppers during the Depression.

Simon's son Alex (played at various ages by Kristoff St. John, Damon Evans, and finally James Earl Jones) is just as determined to succeed in a white man's world as his father, and to that end becomes a professional writer after his own service stint in the Coast Guard during WWII. At the height of his professional success (largely due to his having ghost-written the autobiography of Muslim activist Malcolm X), Alex Haley pays a visit to his boyhood hometown -- where, almost by accident, he receives the first clue to his heritage, a clue that will lead him on an odyssey of self-discovery, arriving full circle at Kunta Kinte's birthplace in Africa. Although the miniseries' "money scene" was Haley's nervous interview with American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell (Marlon Brando in a superb cameo turn), the climactic episode, in which Haley tearfully embraces the living African descendants of Kunta Kinte, is one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of network television. Running 12 episodes and 14 hours, Roots: The Next Generations concluded on February 25, 1979, playing to huge ratings all along the way and ultimately garnering several Emmy nominations (and one win).

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Roots - The Next Generations 4.7 out of 5based on
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More than 1 year ago

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More than 1 year ago

Guest

More than 1 year ago

From an American historical prospective, this movie and its' predecessor were/are essential for our countries' maturation!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

When Roots first air, I was in basic training in the military, so I didn't get to see it until years later. All I knew was what I had heard from others. Alot of folks was very angry. I finally saw the movies years later,and I must admit that I too was angry, I got passed that and started to watched it with a different outlook. I see it as history. I see just how far we as humans have come and far we have to go. Of course I have tried to trace my roots. I have Roots on VHS and DVD and I view it every year. I am looking forward to purchasing Roots the next generation as well as Roots the Gift on DVD. I hope my wait isn't too long.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

I hope to get this on dvd. I thought every one saw this movie, then I remembered that my son was born after the fact. He is now 24 and we are just sitting down to enjoy ROOTS. Time sure does fly

Guest

More than 1 year ago

Lets have this on DVD please.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

We have just seen the historic important ''Roots'' on DVD.This sequel is an excellent follow up.''Next generation'' shows us the worth and the values of Kunta Kinte and his ancestors, together with Alex Haleys ''Queen'', the last part of the story.